Good Little Soldiers
by Passionate Cec
Summary: There's something wrong with Sam. Jack notices and offers all his help. But is there anything he can do? And will she even let him help her?


Hey there. :)

This little story came out of nowhere and I had absolutely no idea where I was going with it until I wrote the very last line. It's so very different from my usual style and I have no idea what made me write that way. It was supposed to be funny. Started out funny too. Didn't really turn out funny. But I really like this little piece. I hope you guys will like it too. :)

This is set sometime around the end of season one or the very beginning of season two. Either way it's before Jolinar because otherwise the whole naquadah in Sam's blood business would make this story impossible. There's also the fact that I love the innocence Sam and Jack had about their relationship back then.

As usual, Stargate SG1 and its characters don't belong to me. I make no money with this story. Its sole purpose is entertainment. No copyright infringement intended.

Please, leave a little review on your way out to tell me what you think. :D They make me very happy.

Enjoy. :)

**Good Little Soldiers**

There's a sudden intake of breath next to him and Jack doesn't dwell on the fact that he knows it's his second in command just by hearing that. Commanding Officers don't recognize their 2IC by the sound of their intakes of breath. But apparently he does. Then again, Sam Carter and he have never done things the usual way. His senses are immediately on high alert, preparing for danger. And then she sneezes. There's an odd kind of silence that follows. He just stops, remaining immobile, so completely surprised by the sound. He had been expecting something so much more dramatic and he doesn't quite know how to deal with the simple situation. And it almost sounds like even nature was surprised and taken off guard by the sudden and unexpected sneeze.

'Carter?'

'Just a cold, sir.'

'A cold, Carter?'

'Yes, sir. Sore throat, runny nose, teary eyes, the occasional sneeze and cough.'

He tries to hold back the urge to throw her a sideway glare. He knows what a cold is. And she knows that he does too. In the end, he can't resist and he turns his head to look at her. And sure enough, there she is and her nose is so red it could give Rudolph a run for his money. It looks slightly irritated too, probably from the number of times she has blown it so far. He wonders how he could possibly miss that. Figures she probably did everything in her power to keep it from him. And he mentally scolds her. He knows he doesn't need to say the words for her to know that. Her eyes are puffy, red and teary. She looks at him and smiles. And more tears fill her eyes, making them look oh so bluer. He hadn't known that was possible. He briefly wonders if maybe she decided to switch place with Daniel and his allergies.

Only she looks much more miserable. Oh, they both know that when they get home she will kick the cold seven ways to Sunday for even considering hitting on her. But for now they're on P4X something or other, middle of nowhere, Milky Way and Doctor Captain Samantha Carter looks positively miserable. Jack wants to hug her.

'Carter, we're halfway across the galaxy on an alien planet and you manage to land yourself a cold?' She shrugs helplessly.

'Looks like it, sir.'

She sniffles, pulls out a tissue and blows her nose. Her eyes get even tearier and two tears even manage to slip down her cheeks. She wipes them away and slips the tissue back into her pocket. Jack frowns. The young captain really doesn't look well. A mixture of pride and worry swells in his chest. Pride that she went all this way without complaining once, following their usual rhythm. Worry that she went all this way and is looking decidedly pale. He decides they've walked enough for the day when he thinks he notices fever blotches on her far too pale cheeks. As soon as they find an appropriate spot, he calls the set up of the camp. They've been walking for hours on this uninteresting planet, in this ungrateful weather anyway. And it's definitely time to eat and sleep. Teal'c and Daniel join them at a lazy pace. They have been walking a few paces behind them, talking softly, mostly relaxed though Teal'c was still completely aware of everything around him.

When he looks at the captain again, he notices she drops her pack just a bit too ungracefully. She's a soldier through and through and she would probably kick him where it hurts for thinking that she drops her pack gracefully when she takes it off her shoulders, but he still thinks the woman in her shows through in all her actions and she manages to put grace in hand to hand combat. She finds a log and carefully and gingerly lowers herself onto it. Jack frowns again. _Yes, there is definitely something wrong._ He knows perfectly well it's probably nothing but the flu, but he also knows this is more than a simple cold. And he thinks she might just be coming to the same conclusion. Or maybe finally accepting what she has been trying to deny all day long. _Yes, that does seem more like her._

They set up camp and good little soldier Sam does all her duties perfectly, the way she always does. It almost makes him sad. _Is that really what they signed up for? _He knows it is and he knows she will never give anything short of perfect. Unless she is half dead. But even then, she would probably find a way to do everything that is expected of her and so much more. She's just like that. And the Air Force has drilled the whole suffer in silence even further into her very smart brain. Like that was necessary. He wonders where the sudden bitterness comes from and realizes he doesn't like seeing Sam so obviously uncomfortable and in pain. But he doesn't offer her to take a break or rest while they take care of her duties. She would just be offended and work harder to prove herself. That's not what she needs. He knows he'll make her resting an order if it comes to it. And she'll sulk for a while. But deep down she will give a sigh of relief and know he was right. But they both know he won't do that until she's at her breaking point.

The campfire is lit and warming them slightly. Somehow, it seems to defy the humidity that has been making their clothes itchy and uncomfortable since they got here. It's not quite as generous as he would like but it is more so than he hoped. Teal'c and Daniel are already sitting by the fire, still talking quietly. Well, Daniel talks, Teal'c stays quiet. Jack smiles slightly. That's just the way it is with them. They haven't been working together long but they make a good team. Certainly an odd bunch but they have a good thing going and in a way, this is the best team he has ever had. He looks for Carter and vaguely notices her standing by the tents. The darkness has quickly settled in and he is glad he called the settlement of the camp when he did. She's not far but darkness has already enveloped her, so that she is nothing but a dark shape, slightly hunched over. He reaches for something in his pack before joining her. He gently grabs her elbow and before she can move away, slips a hand to her forehead. It's burning up. He's not surprised. He is, however, surprised when he feels a violent shiver run through her body. He shouldn't have been. It's the fever and she looks so damn uncomfortable.

'You're burning up.' He says unnecessarily. She nods, too tired to give any other answer. 'Here.' His hand slips down her arm and turns her hand upwards, dropping the two pills he had been holding. She's about to argue. 'Carter.' He warns. That's all it takes and she reaches for her back, uncaps her canteen and swallows the two pills with a gulp of water. 'You hungry?'

'Not really.'

He should make her eat. He knows it. But he doesn't have the heart to force her. She looks ill and probably feels sick to her stomach. The prospect of food – MRE's, even he shudders at the thought – probably make her want to bold for the nearest tree line and loose her meager lunch and breakfast. So he simply nods.

'Go sleep. You'll get morning watch. Get some rest.'

She simply nods, offering him the biggest smile she can muster. It's not much. He knows she would do more if she could. And just like that, she slips into the tent in which he will join her in just a few hours. It wasn't quite an order but it was stronger than an advice. Somewhere in between. That's how it's always been for them. For everything it seems. The thought hits him hard and he decides not to dwell. There must be something in the air that is putting him in an odd and contemplative mood. The quietness about Teal'c and Daniel confirms his suspicion. Not that it's odd for these two to be so quiet.

Later that night, he slips into the tent, after his watch and after he has woken Daniel. He looks over at the space where Sam is lying. The dark green sleeping back is tight around her body and she's curled in a fetal position. He's worried that the fever is still strong enough to wack out her internal thermostat. The Ibuprophen should have helped. Or maybe it's already back. As he lies down, he moves his hand to her forehead. Fever. Check. It's lower than before but still pretty high. He'll make sure they get back home in the morning. He's calling off this mission. His 2IC is sick and there's no way they're spending another day on this god forsaken planet. The weather and humidity are certainly not helping with whatever she has. She shivers against his hand which makes him realize he still hasn't removed it from her burning forehead.

'Sir?' She whispers groggily.

'It's me Carter. Go back to sleep.'

'Not sleeping well.' Her words are slightly slurred though he doesn't know if it's from sleep or sickness.

'Fever?' She simply nods. He can't see her and he shouldn't have known just by the sound of her skin rasping against the fabric of the sleeping back that she just nodded. 'Want a couple more pills?'

'Can't. Too early.'

His heart goes out to her. She just silently admitted that she would gladly have taken them. And even though she didn't voice it, admitting weakness, pain or anything of the kind is just not like Sam Carter.

'Hot or cold?'

'Cold. Freezing. For now. Won't last long, sir.'

He knows it won't and he knows there are so many reasons he shouldn't do what he's about to do. First of all being that she doesn't need another body to keep her warm when her own body is already overheating. But he doesn't care. He doesn't even give the other reasons a second thought. So his hand reaches out and settles on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze.

'C'mere, Sam.' He gently pulls her until she's on her back, hoping she will understand what he's hinting at and finish the rest of the move.

'Sir?' And he knows she's really not feeling well because she's slow on the uptake.

'Can't let you freeze.'

'We shouldn't.'

He knows she thinks about the same reasons as he did. And he knows she knows about him thinking about them too. He knows other stuff too but the sentences just get too complicated so he gives up on trying to formulate them in his mind.

'I know.'

'Okay.' She simply whispers.

She slides over until her shivering body is nestled against his and his arms are around her back. She's soft in all the right places and he knows he really shouldn't be thinking about that. She's also very warm. It feels good to really be warm for the first time that day.

'Better?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Good. Sleep.' He kisses what he thought was the top of her head but turns out to be her brow. 'Kick me away when you get too hot.'

She lightly chuckles though it turns into a slight cough. And then she's quiet, her breathing evens out and he knows she's asleep. But not really resting. She soon starts to get slightly restless and he lets go of her. She rolls away, sprawled on her back, seemingly trying to escape the sleeping bag. The success is limited. He can discern a thin sheen of sweat on her smooth forehead and she lets out slight whimpers that reveal how uncomfortable she is. But he knows there's nothing he can do to help her. So he allows himself to drift off too.

When he wakes up in the morning, she's gone. He briefly worries. But then he remembers that she took her watch a little under two hours ago. He remembers her waking up and getting ready. She was efficient and quiet, as usual and he hadn't offered to take her watch for her. He sits up, noticing her sleeping back is gone. She must have taken it when she left the tent. He's as quiet as possible when he leaves the tent as well, knowing she will hear him either way. No matter how unwell she might be, she is always completely focused on the task at hand. And if that involves protecting her teammates than she is even more so. He looks at her. She is sitting on the log she has found the day before, her legs brought up to her chest, the sleeping back thrown over her shoulders. She's holding a cup of something that must be coffee. He's glad she has something in her but he's worried about what the liquid is doing to her empty stomach. He's, therefore, not that surprised when she simply hands him the still full cup when he silently sits down by her side.

'How you doing?' He asks.

She turns to look at him, considering her answer. A shiver running through her body is all the answer he needs and somehow they are both relieved that she doesn't need to voice the answer. Jack's hand moves to her forehead. The fever is still there.

'Did you take something?' She nods. His hand moves down to stroke her back through the many layers covering her skin. 'Cold again?' Carter simply nods again. 'How did you sleep?'

'Slept pretty well for a while before my watch. But I woke up several times.'

He understands it's because of the fever. And he almost rolls his eyes at the fact that she doesn't say it. Even when he knows she is sick and even when she knows he knows she is sick she doesn't admit to sickness or weakness. He likes that in her. But sometimes, in moments like these, it can be incredibly unnerving. His hand doesn't move from her back and for a while they just sit next to one another, Jack sipping the coffee she has offered him, his hand warming her up as well as he can. Another shiver runs through her body and she lets out a moan, rolling her head from side to side, one hand moving up to rub the back of her neck. He shoots her a sympathetic look.

'Headache?'

'Yes. Haven't had this much muscle pain since I pulled a muscle in my leg a few years ago.'

They're both surprised by the admission. Jack's eyebrows shoot up and Sam closes her eyes, moving her head again in a desperate attempt to relax the tight muscles.

'We're heading back today.' He says.

'No. Sir, I'm-'

'No arguments Carter. There's nothing here except more water than a communal pool sees in ten years. Oh, and trees. Can't forget the trees.' She chuckles. He smiles. She coughs. He frowns in worry. 'We'll all be better off at home, in a warm, dry and comfy bed.' She briefly looks at him, assessing how much her being sick influenced his decision.

'Okay. Daniel's not going to like it.'

'He can come back with a team of rock lovers if he's ready to brave this weather again. I want to go home, take a warm shower and sleep for a couple of days.'

'Sleep sounds good.' She whispers

She pulls a tissue out of her pocket. Her eyes are teary again and she sneezes. Samantha Carter looks pathetic. Jack discovers then that this is the kind of miserable at which Sam admits to letting her body rest for a while. It saddens and worries him. _If she is as bone tired and as sick as she looks, will she be able to walk back the long trek they did yesterday? _He knows she will. Officers never give up. And she's a perfect little soldier. But he worries about what the long, difficult and tiring walk in these awful weather conditions will do to her already exhausted body. Simply by sitting there, she looks like she would like to crawl back into a comfy bed and sleep the flu – because he is convinced that's what it is – away for the next week. The fact that she hasn't eaten since yesterday at lunch doesn't ease his concern. Especially considering how little she did eat. Jack knows she probably isn't hungry and the look on her face when she handed him the coffee confirms her stomach is very likely to rebel if she eats anything.

The choice is hard – force her to eat in the hopes that she will get a little stronger but risk her throwing up or let her be and chance her fainting out of pure exhaustion? Finally, he decides. He thinks everything about her indicates she will get sick. And that will only make her even more uncomfortable and even weaker. That would double the chances of her passing out.

So he leaves her be, his hand still resting against her back. They hear some shuffling behind them but don't turn around. They know it's just Daniel waking up. He's always noisier than any of them. Despite Sam feeling down, this is just another morning off world. Sam and he are always the first up. Teal'c kel'no'reems for a bit longer while Daniel finishes his night. That is, of course, when they're not trapped somewhere and in immediate danger.

There is no obvious danger today so they take their time, all three men shooting the only woman worried glances. Carter soon gets rid of the sleeping bag. When he looks at her, her cheeks are red with fever despite her telling him she took some more Ibuprophen. And he knows she took them. Her skin is still deathly pale. She whimpers uncomfortably several times and he feels bad for her. It takes a lot to get Sam to even whimper in pain. He figures it's mostly discomfort if the way she is rolling her shoulders while holding her arms tight over her abdomen are any indication. _Yep, eating is definitely out of the question for Carter. _He tries to get her to at least drink some tea. But she only shakes her head and all she takes in are a few tentative sips of water.

By the time they finally make it home later that night, Jack's acquired a whole new level of respect and awe at his young captain. He has made sure she was always in his sight during the walk and he has seen how bad she looks. Her step wasn't as sure and strong as it usually is, she even stumbled two or three times. But she hasn't made a peep. She hasn't slowed their progression in the least. She refused to make breaks they wouldn't usually do. More than once he thought her body would just give up on her. But she fought it with all her might and won.

They step through the gate and when they walk out on the familiar ramp, Sam stumbles. Jack catches her arm, keeping her upright. She's still swaying dangerously. Her eyes are completely unfocused. And he knows before it happens that her body has had it. The gate was nothing but the trigger. Her eyes roll to the back of her head and she's in free fall. His hand tightens around her arm to break her fall some. He knows she will have bruises where his fingers are digging in her arm later but he figures a few bruises are better than a concussion on top of an already bad headache and sore back. He manages to slip a hand under her head to make sure it doesn't hit the metal ramp. When she's flat on the ground and he's certain she's not going anywhere, he realizes he hasn't called for medics. He looks up to do so but before he can open his mouth, the heavy door is sliding open and in they come followed by General Hammond.

'Colonel, what happened?' He asks, obviously worried about the young woman.

'Nothing, sir. Most boring mission ever. She's got the flu or something. Pushed herself to the limits and her body's had it.'

'She's burning up.' Dr. Frasier says, alarmed.

He discreetly checks his watch. Sam hasn't taken any more meds during the day, which means it's been about ten hours since she had anything. No wonder.

'Yeah. She's had a fever since last night. Ibuprophen helped a little. She hasn't had any since this morning, about ten hours ago.'

'Alright, let's get her to the infirmary.' She all but orders as they slip the unconscious officer on a gurney and whisk her off. She's in good hands and he knows she will rest. If only because she is out of it and her body is taking the rest it deserves. He looks up at Hammond.

'Sir?' The bald man looks down at him. He's still sitting on the ramp where he had almost fallen when breaking Sam's fall. 'She's a damn good officer.' He says. The general nods.

'Overachiever. It's going to kill her someday.'

'I won't let that happen, sir.' He promises. Hammond smiles.

'Get yourselves cleaned and checked out, gentlemen. Debriefing in an hour.'

The three men nod and Jack pushes to his feet, grabbing Sam's pack which the medics had ridden her of.

After the debriefing, Jack makes his way back to the infirmary. He didn't get much from Frasier before he left for the briefing. All he was told was that Carter definitely has the flu and that her pushing her body as much as it could possibly take didn't help any. She will be spending at least the night at the infirmary because she was still unconscious. But Jack wants to know more about the condition of his very capable second. The infirmary is mostly empty, safe for the nurses who are bustling around and one airman, sitting on a bed, one of said nurses taking care of what looks like an injured wrist. He notices a curtained off area at the far back of the room. He guesses that's where they've hidden Carter. He discreetly walks in that direction, peeks in and is almost shocked by the sight he is met with.

He should have expected it but he's still taken quite off guard. They've put her in the requisite infirmary gown which he hates so much and if possible, it only makes her looker sicker and paler. Her skin is so pale it barely contrasts with the equally white sheets and she looks sort of – fragile. It's not a word he has ever thought of to describe Carter before and the fact that he has actually thought of it and can use it in this context scares him more than it should. He notices they've hooked her up on an IV. _Saline solution._ It makes him feel better. They're getting something other than the nasty little bugs in her blood. For the first time in two days she seems at rest so he figures there must be something else they're pushing into her veins. Something against the pain and fever.

He quietly walks over and can help but lift his hand to her forehead the way he has done several times in the past couple of days. He's almost shocked when her skin almost feels cool to the touch. Not quite as cool as it should be but she's getting there. _Or rather, the drugs are getting her there._ He bitterly thinks. Her eyes slowly open, slightly clouded over, showing off her obvious confusion and how sleepy she still is. After a little while, the frown that has formed between her eyes slowly disappears and she looks up at him. His hand moves down to slip into her hand.

'Hey there, Carter.' He smiles.

'Hi, sir.'

'Gave us quite a fright back there. How are you feeling?' She seems to consider the question.

'Little bit better.' Her eyes follow the IV line from her arm up to the bag. 'The drugs help I guess. Very tired.'

'That much is clear. How long is the Napoleonic power monger keeping you around?' A smile tugs at her lips at the nickname.

'Don't know. Haven't talked to her yet.'

'First time you wake up since your little stunt on the ramp?' She frowns again.

'I think so.'

'I'm honored.' He grins cheekily.

'What happened, sir?'

'Ah, right. Remember getting to the gate?' She nods though the look in her eyes reveals the memory is very vague and fuzzy. 'We stepped through and you passed out.' She cringes. 'Yep. I'll make sure to get my hands on those footages and delete them.'

She smiles though they both know he can't really do that. He knows she really appreciates the thought. Her eyes are starting to droop and he knows she'll be back in Lala Land very soon. He gently squeezes her fingers.

'Go back to sleep, Sam. You deserve the rest. You did good.'

She smiles gratefully and her fingers weakly squeeze his back. Her eyes close and he knows less than a minute later she's asleep again. He squeezes her hand one last time and doesn't resist the urge to lean down and kiss her forehead, just at the hairline. He slips away from her, closing the curtain around her again. His good little soldier is finally getting her well deserved rest. She'll be back on her feet and kicking major alien behind very soon and he'll be there to be proud of her. Soon his odd bunch of a team will be back together and stronger than ever before and all will be good. It's kind of ironic that the one thing that can get her down is a nasty little earthly bug. It doesn't seem fair either. But for now, all she can do is rest and Jack knows he won't let her back in the field until she's one hundred percent again. He can't protect her before she admits to being sick but he can certainly do everything in his power after she has. And he will. Even good little soldiers need a break sometimes.


End file.
